The first round of the Egyptian Premier League (EPL) for the 2024-2025 season witnessed victories for Smouha and Al-Masry of Port Said. El-Gouna and ZED FC shared the points, while Modern Sport and Enppi tie ended in a goalless draw.
At Max Stadium in Alexandria, Smouha emerged victorious over their hosts, Haras el-Hedoud, with a score of 3-1, while Al-Masry claimed a win with two unanswered goals against Tala’ea el-Geish.
Smouha took the lead in the 34th minute with a goal from Mahmoud Saber, who earned the Man of the Match award.
Newly promoted El-Hedoud equalized in stoppage time of the first-half with a penalty converted by Mohamed Ashraf ‘Roka’.
However, just before half-time, in the fourth minute of stoppage time, Moroccan Abdel-Kabir el-Wadi scored Smouha’s second goal.
El-Hedoud’s striker Amr Gamal attempted to reduce the deficit with a goal in the 67th minute, but the Video Assistant Referee intervened and ruled the goal offside.
Just one minute into the second half, striker Hossam Hassan netted Smouha’s third goal, securing their first three points of the competition.
At Suez Stadium in Suez, Al-Masry’s first goal came in the 52nd minute from a brilliant cross by Mohamed Makhlouf, who delivered the ball from the middle of Tala’ea el-Geish’s defensive half. Striker Salah Mohsen, named Man of the Match, was well-positioned inside the penalty area and headed the ball powerfully into the net.
In the 87th minute, Mahmoud Hamada of Al-Masry unleashed a powerful shot from outside the penalty area that found the left side of the net.
At Khaled Beshara Stadium in Gouna, ZED FC and El-Gouna played to a goalless draw.
During the match, ZED dominated possession holding 60 per cent of the ball compared to 40 per cent for El-Gouna.
A pivotal moment occurred in the 12th minute when El-Gouna was awarded a penalty after the ball struck ZED’s playmaker Ammar Hamdi’s hand inside the box.
El-Gouna’s Bilal el-Sayed stepped up to take the penalty, but ZED’s goalkeeper, Ali Lotfy, made a remarkable save.
Despite ZED’s dominance in the second half, both teams were unable to score, leading to a goalless draw and each team earning their first point of the season.
At Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo, Modern Sport delivered a determined performance, holding Enppi to a goalless draw.
Throughout the match, Modern Sport dominated possession but failed to pose any real threat to the goal. Enppi, on the other hand, struggled to capitalize on the scoring opportunities that came their way.
The standout moment of the first-half occurred in the 32nd minute when Modern Sport’s goalkeeper Genesh made a costly error by rushing out and misjudging a one-on-one with Rafiq Kabu. The situation could have resulted in a goal for Enppi, but defender Mahmoud Rizk intervened just in time to clear the ball before it crossed the line.
In the second-half, the most significant event came in the final moments of stoppage time. Cameroonian player Jonathan Ngoyem missed a crucial penalty for Modern Sport, which had been awarded by referee Abdel Aziz el-Sayed after Enppi’s striker Ahmed Amin Oufa handled the ball inside the penalty area.
The 66th edition of the EPL kicked off on Wednesday, utilizing a transitional format approved by the clubs’ association to ensure an early finish in line with other leagues around the world.
Before the league began, it was decided that the competition would adopt a single-round format. After completing the 17th round, the teams will be divided into two groups.
The first group comprises the top 10 teams vying for the league title, while the second group includes teams ranked 11th to 18th, battling to avoid relegation. Two teams from the second group will be relegated to the second division professional league.
The clubs’ committee announced that the first round of matches will conclude on March 5, 2025, after which the second round will begin, with all matches scheduled to be completed by the end of May.
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